Iloilo hosts Intl Donors Forum gab
Officials and key personalities of Local Government Units (LGUs) under the Metro Iloilo Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC) will converge anew for a two-day forum with Iloilo City as host LGU.
Aimed at improving aid effectiveness and improve coordination among development partners and the MIGEDC, the forum is yet another opportunity that will bring together the donor community, the non-government agencies involved and council member-LGUs.
Dubbed "Forum on Enhancing Coordination and Management of Official Development Assistance (ODA) by LGUs," the event slated on January 25 and 26 is realized through the Philippines Development Forum Working Group on Decentralization and Local Government (PDF WG).
The PDF is the primary mechanism of the government for facilitating substantive policy dialogue among stakeholders on the country's development agenda. PDF also has since been instrumental in exploring ways to further enhance effectiveness of aid going to LGUs.
As such, discussion are up on the strategies and programs of the MIGEDC particularly those on infrastructure, local economic development works, basic services, local finance, capacity building and other related development concerns.
Set to be answered are questions posed, "What works and does not work?" in terms of assistance and aids that has since poured in from donors.
MIGEDC Chair is Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas with Guimaras Governor J.C. Rahman Nava as co-chair.
The Forum will also identify "best practices" that may be used as case studies by member MIGEDC cities and municipalities.
"Harmonization is essential at the LGU level particularly with respect to capacity building," the PDF WG statement went. "It was observed that LGUs with better-managed Official Development Assistance are relatively better-off in increasing their assistance portfolio relative to others."
Venue of the two-day gab will be the Amigo Terrace Hotel here where day two will see sessions open to the general public.
Side events include Canadian Urban Institute's (CUI) design competition for students, a contest that seek to have the best project idea based on the council's "Roadmap 2010." There will also be an exhibit of several ODA-projects such as the Iloilo Flood Control Project of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) now under the supervision of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Iloilo Airport Project also of the JBIC, the Metro Iloilo Road Network Improvement Project and the World Bank's Localized Anti-Poverty Program 2 with Iloilo CODE among others.